Scott Hogan has revealed how his hefty £12million price-tag has HELPED him during his times of struggle.

The Villa forward admits it hasn’t gone to plan since moving from Brentford in January as niggling ankle injuries have restricted him to just 11 league starts.

But while away on international duty with the Republic of Ireland this week, Hogan told reporters:

“Sometimes when I’m a bit down - and I’ll be honest it has not gone great since I went to Villa - I go home and my girlfriend, family and friends say, ‘Remember you’re a £12m player. Someone has paid that much money for you.’ That picks you up a little.

“I remember the first bids going in from West Ham, even before January, and it was like, ‘Jesus, this is a lot of money here.’

“And obviously the bids kept being turned down and I was like, ‘this cannot keep going up here, can it?’

“I had only been at low-budget clubs and I kept thinking I am just a lad who wants to play football, I am not worthy of that kind of money. A fee is a fee.

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“If someone wants to pay it, they pay it but from where I am from, that’s a lot of money.”

Some players get bogged down by their transfer fee but Hogan believes it inspires him to succeed.

He started the season with three goals in the early rounds of the Carabao Cup but is still stuck on one Championship goal in claret and blue after losing his starting place to youngster Keinan Davis.

Scott Hogan

Martin O’Neill has taken a punt on the striker by handing him his first Republic of Ireland call and he’s hoping to make an impression with two final World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Wales on the agenda.